The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1887-02-11
miscellaneous.
A STORY OF A BOOK.
BY BENJAMIN NoRTuRuP

~ biSAoA"i-N -NohlhhlIs
The housemaid had found it in an old ccdnl
box in the attic and put it beside volume OF
Dickens on the middle shelf of the library
bookcase. 1t was little, square, green GOV.
cred, dog cared, round-cornered geography
1t was published when the art of geography.
making was comparatively speaking, in its
infancy. Its maps had blue seas, green, red
white, yellow, purple, brown and many other
col0red lands, and il was embelished with
odd pictures Of still odder people dressed
more singuinrly still, who have brcome en-.
tirely extinct long since the artist who drew
them died, if the Biographies of the present
day are reliable in their illustrations.
Tie advent Of this old-ashoned volume
among the richly bound books in the library
caused a flutler of excitement not unmingled
with Indignation.
81 cant see for the life of me-" exclaimed q
collection of Matthew Arnolls essays, "why
this common book should furcc himself upon
our company"
mo, nor l." responded the Dickens novel,
sharply. "lf this library is to be- turned into
a literary Junk shop we might as well be in
a secondhand store at once"
Yes, indeed" echoed in unison a row of
SCOTS novels, which stood like line of
British soldiers with bright rcd suits, ON an
opposite shelf
Come, what have you got to say for your
self?" inquired grutf old Ben Jonson, "What
made you stick yourself in here against our
consentp'
II didn't want to come" answered the
Geography, mildly Indeed | didn't. 1t
wasn't my fault. | was lying in the old cedar
chest in the attic, where have lain ever since
she grew up and where | would have been
now but"
"She ?" interrupted Dickens WHO is she,
prays"
"Why, don't you know herr" replied the
Geography in amazement. II thought you
must know her. She used to study me
when she was little pnk-faced girl,
years and years ago. She and Jack studied
me together. They were very fond of me,
and suppose that is the reason have been
kept so long"
Jack P" again inquired the nquistive
Dickens, "who is Jack?'
Jack" continued the Geography, entLu-
siasticalIy, was the handsomest boy ever
knew, and l knew whole generation of boys
and girls too. | ought to know them well,
for was read, thumbed and studied by them
for nearly forty years before Jack found me
on the book shelf in bis fathers library,
where his older brother had left me when lie
finished school and went to sea-"
THAT doesn't explain how you happened
to be here" inlerposed Ben Jonson, rudely.
"Come, tell us that"
81 was just about to tell you," continued
the Geography. "You see, Jack took me TO
school with him the very first day he went
there 1t was the little red school house I'M
der the hill. You probably know it. No?
thought every one knew where that WAS.
The master was very strict and very cruel,
en- ueo1 IN think and av.ry dov lac. ,end ~
whip nearly all the boys and keep half the
girls in at recess Just because they whis-
pered, and tell you that boys and girls can't
keep from whispering in school any more
than from breathing. / said nearly ALI the
boys. Jack was one he didn't whip. Why |?
Jack was a cripple. How did that happen !?
III tell you. Phillis-she was Jacks sweet
heart-was the prettiest girl in all the school,.
She was younger than Jack just year. He
was twelve and she was eleven, and they
loved each other just as much as people a
good deal older than they were, if not little
more. One day after school jack and Phillis
were sliding down the school hill on Jacks
big sled. The master was out watching
them. The road didn't run straight
down the hill, but wound around down
through small grove of trees. The road
had been covered with water and was ice
than the wind rs they went down. This after
noon Philis sat in front ofthe sled, her little
red stockings curled up under her dress,
while Jack held on behind and steered with
his legs. They started-the last slide they
had-from the top, and were going faster
than they had ever gone before, when Phiis
gave little scream and caught hold of the
sled tighter than ever Jack looked over her
shoulder and saw log sled, piled high with
logs, crossing the road. How fast they were
going, and how slow it crept along The
seconds seemed like yeara. They couldn't
possibly turn out for it was in the very mid
die of the grove. 1t didn'ttake Jack long to
make up his mind what to do. With quick
sweep of his leg he turned the sled sideways.
He couldn't stop it, but he could make the
end where he set hit the logs first. A second
later Phillis was lying in frightened heap
in the snow by the roadside unhurt, but Jack
was stretched out, white and senseless, under
his sled by the side of the big runners of the
log.sled
"The master picked him up and carried
him to the sChoolhouse. Then he sent for
Jacks father, who was the country Doctor
After Jack opened his eyes and knew any
one he was carried home, and lie didn't leave
II all winter long. His back was injured, so
they said. The next spring he was able to
go to school again, but he couldn't play with
the other boys. His crutches were in the
way, and no matter how much he whispered
the master never whipped him. He never
wanted to, either, for most every one loved
Jack. He used to sit with little Phillis and
they learned their lessons ont of me. During
recess they would open me at the map Of
Europe, and mark out the trip they were
going to take when they grew up and were
married. They were going to Paris where
Jack was going TO be cured. They
would live in Italy year or so on the banks
of beautiful lake, and they would be so hap
by that they wouldn't care whether they had
any money or not"
"Well," observed Dickens, when the Geo.
graphy paused q moment TO breathe, did
they marryP"
"No," returned the other sadly "The next
year Jack died and was buried in the little
churchyard behind the village church,
Phillis' father preached the sermon at the
funeral and the whole school put flowers on
the grave. For while PhilliS was inconsol-
able, but such grief never lasts very long, so
I've learned, and before her school days were
over she was just as cheerful and much more